Dirk Koetter says Winston is 'aiming to be elite'

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 11: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drops back and looks for an open receiver during the first quarter of an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints on December 11, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

With Buccaneers minicamp coming to a close, one player who didn’t want to leave is quarterback Jameis Winston, who head coach Dirk Koetter says is “aiming to be elite” this season.

Koetter is no stranger to “elite” quarterback play as he was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons when Matt Ryan posted two of the three seasons where his PFF grade was 90 or higher, therefore qualifying as an elite season on the grading scale.

One area where Winston shined in 2016 like Koetter’s previous protégé was on play action passes. Winston saw a completion percentage bump of 8.9% when throwing out of play action and threw 11 touchdowns compared to two interceptions for a passer rating of 115.0 that ranked sixth among qualifying quarterbacks.

On plays that didn’t involve play action, Winston completed 58.8% of his throws with 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions to go with a passer rating of 77.2.

Koetter coached to Winston’s strengths this past season as 23.7% of his passes came out of play action, and the 11 touchdown passes out of it ranked second amongst all quarterbacks.